COVER STORY
Steward offers blended learning education by combining personalized instruction, online capabilities.
There is a distinct shift happening in the world of education. As digital technology increases its presence in most facets of the learning process, academic circles across the nation are considering whether students can receive a quality education strictly online. In fact, it’ s predicted that by 2019, half of high school classes will be available online, according to Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns by Clayton M. Christensen, Curtis Johnson, and Michael B. Horn.
But what’ s missing from online-only education? Many argue that the in-person interactions children receive in school, ranging from sessions with teachers to group projects with peers, and the relationships formed between students and teachers are an essential part of the learning process. This is where the concept of blended learning comes into play.
Though definitions vary based on context, the core idea of blended learning is to combine brick and mortar classrooms with digital technology to give students the best personalized education: meaningful and substantial face-to-face interactions combined with online experiences that allow students to control pace, content, delivery, and location.
Here at Steward, incorporating blended learning into our instructional pedagogy is a cornerstone of our commitment to providing students with the best education possible, and we aim to build on our current integration of the concept to secure our leading position for the future.
STUDYING THE SHIFT
During the summer of 2015, Head of School Dan Frank commissioned Director of Technology Shahwar Qureshi’ 90, JK-12 Technology Coordinator Robin Ricketts, and Upper School Innovation Studies teacher Tom Gallo to take part in an in-depth conversation about blended learning and where Steward stands. Each of them read Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools by Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker, which provided a foundation to understand the base characteristics of the concept.
“ With the availability of online classes, homeschooling is the fastest growing segment in the education space,” Mr. Frank said.“ To ensure that brick and mortar learning( and the personal interactions that go along with it) stays relevant, we must figure out how to grow our program in new ways. Technology is here— it’ s not going away— and it has the potential to open up incredible opportunities for students as an exceptional means to achieve learning outcomes.”
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